Promising intervention
Commenting on the study, Colleen Ann Hanlon, PhD, noted that, from years of work using TMS for depression, “we know that more sessions of TMS during the acute treatment phase tends to lead to stronger and possibly more durable results long-term.”
Dr. Colleen Ann Hanlon
Dr. Hanlon, who was not involved with the current research, formerly headed a clinical neuromodulation lab at Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C. She is now vice president of medical affairs at BrainsWay, an international health technology company specializing in Deep TMS.
She noted that Deep TMS was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for smoking cessation in 2020, “which was a tremendous win for our field at large, and requires only 15 acute sessions followed by 3 weekly sessions” of deep TMS.
“I suspect this is just the beginning of a new era in neuromodulation-based therapeutics for people struggling with drug and alcohol use disorders,” Dr. Hanlon said.
The study behind the FDA approval for smoking approval was a large double-blind, sham-controlled multisite clinical trial where investigators used an H4 coil – a TMS coil that modulates multiple brain areas involved in addictive behaviors simultaneously.
Results from that study showed that 15 sessions of deep TMS significantly improved smoking cessation rates relative to sham (10 Hz, 120% motor threshold, H4 coil, 1,800 pulses/session).
“The difference in cigarette consumption and craving was significant as early as 2 weeks after treatment initiation,” said Dr. Hanlon. “I am looking forward to the future of this field for all people suffering from drug and alcohol use disorders.”
The study and services provided through the Erada Center were funded by the government of Dubai. The investigators reported no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.